selective double embossing

I'm not sure why it never occurred to me to do this before, but I decided that I'd try combining creative Cuttling with double Cuttling. This is not to be confused, however, with creative double Cuttling (LOL!)--this was where I used one folder design, left an unembossed area, then embossed that area with a different design. This time I selectively embossed the same area twice, leaving an area of my card front completely unembossed. I hope you followed that. :-)

Now since I didn't use any Cuttlebug embossing folders, I thought I'd better not call it Cuttling, but rather just "embossing". And instead of having that fun alliterative term, creative Cuttling, I went with the more boring but perhaps more accurate description of "selective" embossing. I added the "double" since I embossed twice.

Here are the cards that resulted from my playing around with these techniques....


I embossed the above card using two A2 size Sizzix embossing folders and left the oval opening by using a wooden die cut frame to selectively emboss my card front. The flower image and sentiment are by H and M stamps and were stamped using Memento dye ink.

For this card, I again embossed the card front by using two A2 size Sizzix embossing folders. This time I used a wooden frame die cut with a rectangular opening to leave the space for the flower design and sentiment which are both by Studio G. Again, these were stamped using Memento dye inks.

My original plan had been to further embellish these two cards. I may still add a little something. But I think that the embossing already adds quite a bit of visual interest, which is also the reason why I left the embossing unaccented. I think it stands out rather nicely on its own.

So, that's my latest twist on using these embossing folders. It's fun to double emboss, but if you do this directly on a card front, I'd recommend using a heavier weight card stock that will hold up nicely even through a couple of embossings.

One more thing, you might have noticed that I've lost, hopefully temporarily, my usual blog background and any photos and files on this blog that are hosted by or linked to my personal web site. For some reason my site is down, so those things are unavailable at the moment. I've sent up an SOS to my provider's customer service department, so hopefully things will be fixed up soon.

selective Sizzix-ing how-to

Selectively embossing with the Sizzix textured impressions folders is really very similar to creative Cuttling. Here are the details though, due to popular demand. :-)


In this first photo are the supplies needed: the Big Shot, multipurpose platform open to Tab 1, one clear cutting plate, two A2 size cards, one shim (Cuttlebug backing), two wood die cut frames, and two textured impressions folders.


Here is a better look at those wood die cut frames. I bought these at Michaels. You might be able to make out that I labeled the oval one with Tab 1 to make it easy on myself.


For my first card, I'm using the A2 folder from the Dots & Flowers set and the frame with the oval opening.


I place the card front inside the folder. When I wrote up creative Cuttling, I tucked the back of the folded card behind the folder. With these Sizzix folders, because of their size and the fact that the design covers the entire card front, the fold is inside the folder and so the back of the card needs to be left hanging out and the folder put through sideways.


From bottom to top: multipurpose platform open to Tab 1, shim (because I know I'll need one), folder with card front inside, wood die cut frame, clear cutting plate.


Here's the stack all lined up and ready to be run through the machine.


And here's how it turned out.


I did the same thing with the other wood frame and the Argyle A2 size Sizzix folder. The stack, or sandwich, was exactly the same.


And this is how it looked after rolling it through.

So again, this is very much like creative Cuttling. The only real differences, and they're minor ones, are putting the folder and card through sideways and leaving the back flap of the card as the trailing edge.

A caveat if you're trying this for the first time--machines are different and what works for one might not work quite the same way for another. You may not need to shim, or you may need more shims than I used. You'll have to play with it a bit the first time or two, but after that you should be able to keep using your same combo. Just don't force anything through your machine. There should be a little bit of resistance getting started, but my sandwich rolls through easily once it starts going through.

One last thought, I'd seen somewhere that people were using craft sticks or other items inside their folders to selectively emboss. From the cards that I've seen, that seems to work. I personally prefer placing anything that makes the sandwich uneven on the outside of the folder. I think that gives me the best shot at getting a fairly distinct border between the embossed and unembossed areas. I'm also hesitant to put any uneven pressure on any of the actual design elements inside the folder because I'd hate to mess up parts of the positive or negative face and risk getting a less than crisp and clean emboss when I use the folder normally. I'm all for using things in new and creative ways, but I'd rather not put a good thing at risk. Just my two cents. :-)

selective Sizzix-ing?

Okay, I have a dilemma of sorts. Way back when, I posted a technique that I'd dubbed creative Cuttling. In short, this was a way of selectively embossing Cuttlebug folder designs using stuff from around the house. You can do the same thing with these new Sizzix textured impressions folders. Neat, eh? Looks even better because the card front is embossed edge to edge. The one problem? I can't call it creative Cuttling. LOL! Just so you know that I'm using Sizzix folders but essentially the same technique, I'll call it selective Sizzix embossing--selective Sizzix-ing is just too hard to say, even just in my head. ;-)

Here are a couple of cards that I made using wood die cut frames in place of one clear cutting plate to leave an unembossed area on the card front.


For this first card I used a wood die cut frame with an oval opening. The folder is from the Dots & Flowers set.


This one was made with a wood die cut frame with a small rectangular opening over the A2 size folder of Wedding Set 2. I then accented the opening by making score lines with my Scor-It.

Both cards were embossed with Sizzix textured impressions folders. The sentiments are both by Hero Arts and stamped using Memento dye ink. The dancer silhouettes are from an Angela Cartwright Stampington set and stamped using Tuxedo Black Memento dye ink. The flowers are Primas and I used hot fix crystals for a bit more embellishment.

TGIF, everyone!

inspired by the cold

It isn't cold here today. Actually, it's mild and a perfect day to be out raking leaves. I did that earlier. But a couple of days ago it was cold here, and the cold had me thinking about wintry things, like penguins, ice, snow, holidays....

So, here's a card that I made along those lines.


The stamped images are all by Hero Arts and stamped using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I colored the penguin with a white Inkssentials pen and the scarf with a Spica glitter pen. The blue layer is a shimmer-finish paper (from Target) that I embossed using the Snow Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder and the creative Cuttling technique.


This is a close up view. I think you might just be able to appreciate the glitter of the paper. You also get a good look at the faux snow, or ice. :-) Kinda looks more like ice here. I'd bought it a while back from Cornish Heritage Farms. The patterned cardstock is by Me and My Big Ideas.

Thanks!

I wanted to say a quick Thank You! to the folks over at the Cuttlebug Challenge blog. They're dedicated to creative use of the Cuttlebug and its accessories (Gotta love that!) and are a wonderful source of inspiration. They're holding a Cuttlebug Camp this weekend and have lots of fun projects, techniques, and tutorials posted. I was given the honor of being the Guest Designer for their Grand Opening this weekend. That was very cool. They posted a couple of cards that I'd made for the occasion. I thought I'd post them here now, too.

This first card was made using only Cuttlebug products.


I used creative Cuttling with an oval frame to leave the unembossed area on the cream layer. I also added some extra texture by using some mesh for textured Cuttling.


Here's a close up so that you can see the texture that was added by the mesh. The embossing of the metallic Stardream copper cardstock is really gorgeous, too. It was such a pretty effect that I used it in another card, but this time using the maple leaf combo instead of the dove.


The colored cardstocks are both metallic. The Poison Ivory cardstock layer is a bit irridescent as well. The angle of the photo and the sheen washed out the sentiment by Impression Obsession. It's a vertical "Thinking of You" that was stamped using Memento dye ink. It's much easier to read in person.


And this is a close-up of those leaves and the background. I added the texture by using the orange netting that I showed in my earlier post where I described textured Cuttling. I really like the added visual interest and dimension that it adds.

So, if you like using the Cuttlebug and its accessories, be sure to head over to the Cuttlebug Challenge blog where lots of inspiration can be found. And thanks again to the fun folks over there for having me as a guest designer--I had a great time! :-)

using lots of my faves

Between the celebrating and the playing around with my Big Shot and Cuttlebug, I haven't posted any cards lately! Here's one that I've been working on intermittently.


The card is made from Core'dinations cardstock that I hadn't realized until very recently is now available at Hobby Lobby! Thankfully I had a 40% off coupon and got a nice big package of it. I creatively Cuttled with the Cuttlebug Floral Screen A2 embossing folder, then sanded the embossing to reveal the lighter color. I embossed around the unembossed area of the card front with a rectangle Nestabilities die, then stamped the Verve image and sentiment on white cardstock that I'd cut and embossed using the crease pad and a single pass through the Big Shot. I used Memento ink for the stamping.


This is a close up view of the flowers. I'd made these using floral wire, clear liquid glue and three colors of Flower Soft. It wasn't until I thought about my materials "list" that I realized how many of my current favorite things I'd used in making this card. Fun! :-)

flower-soft lilacs

Life has been busy because school starts back up here in another week. I had a fun package arrive in the mail today though, and I just had to put some of the contents to use.


This is a card that I creatively Cuttled using the new A2 Floral Screen Cuttlebug embossing folder. I did this in order to leave that unembossed area for my new lilac stamp from Flourishes. I stamped the image using Memento dye ink, then colored with Prismacolor colored pencils and blended with the Goo Gone Mess-free pen. But here's the really fun part! I then applied some glue to the lilacs and pressed Flower Soft into the glue. They're acid-free sprinkles that add really neat color and texture. Using it is much like using flock. The colors and color combinations are wonderful!


This is a close-up of the flower soft sprinkles. The sentiment is also by Flourishes, by the way. I can't wait to try using these Flower Soft sprinkles on some other projects!

two more cards using new Cuttlebug folders

For this card I used the new Leafy Branch A2 Cuttlebug embossing folder to emboss a piece of glossy cardstock that I'd spritzed with Stampinback's Perfect Resist and then colored with a Kaleidoscope inkpad. Stampinback is a company based in the Netherlands. They also produce a metallic myst as well as stamps. I purchased the Perfect Resist from I Brake For Stamps. I can recommend that site. Great service! The sentiment is by Heidi Grace Designs.


For this card I creatively Cuttled using my Forest Branches Cuttlebug folder. The stamped images are by Inkadinkado and stamped using Memento dye inks. The flowers are Primas.

creative Cuttling with new folders

This is a quick and easy card that I made using one of the newly released Cuttlebug A2 embossing folders. This one is Floral Screen. I left the center of the card front unembossed by doing a little creative Cuttling using a die cut wood frame. The stamped image and sentiment are both by Hero Arts and stamped using Memento dye ink. I colored the image using Prismacolor pencils and blended using my Goo Gone Mess-free pen.

One thing that I wanted to point out--I know I've read at a number of forums that there's a certain amount of frustration over the fact that these A2 embossing folders don't cover the entire front of the card and that this more or less forces people to use layers. I felt the same way at first, but as I've started doing more and more embossing of the card fronts themselves, I've found that I actually do like that they have a "built-in" border. Maybe you can appreciate that I didn't have to do anything to make the edges of this card look more finished. That's what I'm talking about. :-)

s'more please

This was such a fun card to make. The s'more is a die cut by Boss Kut. The stamped image is by Darcie and hand cut. The background was made using the Swiss Dots A2 Cuttlebug embossing folder and creative Cuttling to leave that unembossed space for the s'more.

Simple but fun is a great combo, isn't it?

Sizzix XL scalloped card die

I figured that I'd invested in those XL clear plates, I might as well get another die to use with them. :-) Any excuse, eh? LOL!


The finished size of this card is 4 1/4" by 5 7/8". I mention this because you have to use 12" long paper or cardstock when using this die. The standard 8 1/2" by 11" just isn't quite long enough to cover the entire length of the cutting surface. This die also provides the folding score for you, just like the A2 card die that I described a while back.

The stamped images are by My Favorite Things and stamped using Memento dye inks. The dot doodles are mine and were made with a Copic warm grey marker. Yep, I'm getting braver about doodling. The embossing was made using a Sizzix texture plate, Flower Power. And in case you'd been wondering, you can selectively emboss with these, too--similar to creative Cuttling. That's what I did in that card--I used that same triple layered chipboard with the heart cutout that I described yesterday. I did have to change my stack to fit this through my Big Shot. Again, if you try this, you'll have to experiment and see what works best for you and your particular machine. Start thin, and gradually add shims so that you don't break your machine! Just a friendly reminder. :-)

Here's the lowdown: I used my multipurpose platform, but with no tab. I also replaced the black Impression pad with the thinner clear cutting plate since I'd added some thickness to the stack by adding in the chipboard cutout. Just FYI, the stack was as follows, from the bottom up: multipurpose platform with no tab selected, texture plate with desired design facing up, card front facing down on top of that, black silicone embossing pad, chipboard cutout, clear cutting plate. I did not mist my cardstock and still got a nice impression. That is an option though if the embossing seems too shallow to you.

For you Cuttlebug users, sorry, I haven't tested this die in the CB yet. I would guess that you could run this huge die through twice using the CB's clear plates, just like I did with the A2 horizontal card die. I'll update when I get a chance to try that and know for sure.

These huge scallops on this card die are a lot of fun, and it's great to have a variety of ways to make scallops on cards!

DIY creative Cuttling and an aside on folder making

Ever since I wrote about the different things that could be used to emboss selectively with the Cuttlebug embossing folders--I'm talking about creative Cuttling--I haven't been able to stop looking for new items to use. Now I did say that the shapes had to be fairly simple. This technique doesn't pick up a lot of detail. Here's a card that I made earlier.


I used the Cuttlebug Script embossing folder and Cuttled it using chipboard with a heart shape cut out of it. Okay, technically it was three layers of chipboard that I glued together after cutting out the heart shape from each. This was a scalloped Nestabilities heart die by Spellbinders. I wasn't looking for the scallops to show up. I wanted the heart shape. The bird image is by Pink Paislee and stamped with Memento dye inks. The sentiment is by Inkadinkado, also stamped with Memento ink.

This is a photo of one of my test runs with the heart cutout, using the Textile texture folder and the creative Cuttling that I've described before.


Then it occurred to me that I could use not only this cutout, but the die cuts as well. Almost a year ago, I posted here about making my own embossing folder out of chipboard, using letters that I'd cut out using Sizzix alphabars. It was simple, but it worked.

This time I made my folder using the heavy weight transparency that I'd used when modifying those small Cuttlebug folders. I used my cutout side as the 'negative' face of my die and the die cut as the 'positive'. I adhered the chipboard pieces to their respective sides of the folder using my ATG. Just a word of warning, ATG tape is very sticky, but with chipboard and transparency it's even less forgiving than usual! You can guess how I might know. ;-)

Here's how it works as an embossing folder.


I had to play around with the shimming, and again, you'll want to take care and start thin and gradually add shims until you get an impression that you're happy with. This gave me a very crisp design right off.


That's just another photo with the folder open so that you can see the two sides and how they come together to sandwich the card front. The hinge is at the top of the folder.

Another good thing about this set up is that I can still use the cutout side of the folder for creative Cuttling like I did at the beginning of this post. I just open the folder all the way and lay that 'negative' face on top of my Cuttlebug embossing folder and run it through the die machine. The positive side either runs through ahead or behind my 'sandwich', off the platform entirely. And now that I think about it, you could the 'positive' face similarly to emboss, in this case, a heart shape of your Cuttlebug folder design.

Now it may not be a big deal to be able to emboss a Nestabilities shape since you can emboss those just fine on their own, but imagine if you'd used a Sizzix thick cut die or some other die that isn't made to be embossed like those alphabet dies that I'd used last year. That's where this could come in handy, particularly if you don't own an electronic die cutter and have to do things the semi-old-fashioned way. :-)

a few cards

This is the busy time of year with the school year winding down. I hadn't really had much time to make cards, but here are a few that I managed to finish this week.

This first one is creatively Cuttled. I used a door hanger to leave the unembossed opening where I then used a modified small Cuttlebug embossing folder to add the zigzag circle with the Hero Arts sentiment stamped inside it. I used Fiskars corner edgers to embellish the layers and then added some bling.


This next card was first stamped with Hero Arts flowers and Versamark ink, then embossed using the Cuttlebug Bloom Dots embossing folder. I scalloped the bottom edge by partially running it through one of the long scalloped rectangle Megabilities dies. The other layers were made using scalloped Nestabilities dies. The sentiment is by Studio G and the penguin is by Imaginisce, colored with Prismacolor colored pencils and blended with the Goo Gone Mess-free pen. The scoring accents were made using my Scor-It.


This last card was also creatively Cuttled, again using a wooden door hanger to leave a round opening in the embossing. I used the Cuttlebug A2 Spots and Dots embossing folder. The stamped images are a mini set by Inkadinkado and stamped using Brilliance ink. The diaper was colored with the Ranger Inkssentials opaque white pen.


Can't believe that this is the first time I've posted since Monday. Feels good to get back in the swing of blogging.

Tips for diagonal scoring

Diagonal scoring can be tricky. Scoring boards like the Scor-It have a nice raised edge so that you can push your paper or cardstock flush up against it and make a nice straight score. You can't place your card flush against a raised edge when you're scoring a traditional card front diagonally though. It's also tough if your card isn't a traditional shape. I'm going to describe what I do to try to keep from having to toss too many cards into the scrap pile.

In my post about diagonal Cuttling, I mentioned that I like to set off the look of the embossed and unembossed areas of the card front. I usually do this by scoring, so that the card looks like this....


To do this, I pull out my Scor-It board and open up the card on top of it. In the photo below, I've started to line up the bottom right corner of the card front along the ridge that will make my embossed line. I like to start here because this is the easiest place to see just where to score that line--I can sort of visualize the edge of the embossing following along that metal ridge.


But, I've said it here before--why guess when you can make things a bit more foolproof? Yes, I've successfully eyed it and gotten it right, but there are three more lines to score after this first one. I needed a better plan. Okay, yes, I learned that from experience. :-)

So, here's one way to double check. I use something with two nice straight edges set at a right angle. If you've been Cuttling diagonally using those long Sizzix plates, then BINGO! You can use one of those.


In the photo above, I've placed the short edge of the clear plate flush against the raised edge at the top of my Scor-It. Sliding close to the scoring rail, I can double check where my first score line will be made compared with where my embossing starts and ends. Once I'm happy with it, I can score my line.


Here I'm just showing another option. This is a clear triangle ruler. You can use a regular ruler, too, as long as the short edge is wide enough to be stable against the raised edge of the scoring board. I also like using something clear so that I can see embossed design through it.


Here I've made the first score line and I'm getting ready to make the second one. This is where it's really nice to have a way to check the placement of your line before you make it because if it looks off, then it's rather eye-catching and not necessarily in a good way.


Here I'm basically making sure that my lines will be parallel to each other. I've placed my card over the rail where I think the next score line should go. I slide the clear plate along that raised edge at the top of my board and I make sure that the first line that I scored is still lining up parallel to the scoring rail. The rubberized texture of the board holds my card in place while the clear plate slides easily over the top of the card, so that I can move the plate back and forth from the scoring rail to my first scored line until things are lined up just right. By the way, it took me A LOT longer to write that than it does to actually just do it. :-) When I'm satisfied, I score my line.

Make all of the score lines in the same fashion and you end up with a card that can look something like this when you've finished it off with some stamping and embellishments....


The stamped swirl image is by Inkadinkado and stamped using Memento dye ink. The butterfly die cut was made using a Spellbinders die and embossed and colored with that die as well. The flowers and leaf are Primas.

If you use craft sticks to creatively Cuttle as I've described before, you can set off that embossing with score lines, too. I went through the same steps to score the following card as I did in the one I described above. You just need to tilt the card a couple of different ways because the design changes direction.

For this card I used the Cuttlebug Perfectly Paisley embossing folder and embossed using craft sticks. I set off the embossing with score lines made with my Scor-It. The stamped images are an Inkadinkado mini set and stamped using Tsukineko Memento dye ink. I colored the images with Prismacolor colored pencils and blended with my Goo Gone Mess-free pen. I accented the headlights with a Sakura clear Glaze pen.

By the way I don't have a Scor-Pal. The idea would be the same though. You'd have your card face down in this case and set at an angle on top of the board. You'd position your card so that your first score line makes a nice border between an embossed and unembossed area of your card. Depending on whether one of the other scoring grooves falls in a spot where the next line would ideally be scored, you may or may not have to move your card. If you do have to move it, a clear straight edge can help you make sure that things are lined up properly again before you make your other score lines. Hope that made sense. :-)

Catch-all post RE: Goo Gone and Cuttling

Okay, I've fielded a few questions that had been left in comments to various posts. I thought I'd recap some of the answers and other tidbits of information here.

1. where to find the Goo Gone Mess-free pen: I found the pen at Wal-Mart. They're also supposed to be available at Publix (in Florida) from what I'd read online. I haven't seen them elsewhere. You can also buy them directly from the Goo Gone site. They're more expensive though. You can get free shipping, but you'd have to buy $35 worth of stuff.

2. Along the same lines, a couple of things worth mentioning: Sue Nelson of Heart Prints recently did her own evaluation of Goo Gone as a blending agent. She used the spray gel form and found it to be a reasonable alternative, particularly for folks with concerns about using Gamsol or other odorless mineral spirits. Now SHE is a wonderful colorer/blender when it comes to the magic colored pencil technique, so her evaluation was great to read. You can see her take by clicking here.

3. I've mentioned the Mess-free pen in particular because of its convenience--easily transportable, no stumps, no liquid. It's also been brought up that if you're worried about spills in general, the pen eliminates that concern.

4. A question about how I use the Mess-free pen because of concerns that the colors will get muddy on the tip: I just swipe the pen a few times on scratch paper to remove the color from the nib and it's ready for blending again. I'd wondered about this myself when I first tested it. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy it was to move from color to color without accidentally carrying it on the nib and, say, contaminating a yellow area with purple.

5. Where to find some of those wood frames that I've used with those Cuttlebug embossing folders: I didn't say anything specifically at first because I'd just been using stuff that I'd found around the house. The look of the Cuttled frames seems to be very popular though. They can be found at craft stores and hobby shops. Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and Joann's all carry this sort of thing. They're usually very inexpensive, too. Don't forget to look in the kids' sections of stores because these are often stocked there as parts of art projects for kids, particularly this time of year with Mother's Day and Father's Day coming up, as well as the end of school and the possibility of using things like this for teacher gifts.

6. Again, along the same lines as above, you can make your own frames as well. I know that some have made them out of mat board. You could cut them out of chipboard, too. Again, I was just trying to get the wheels turning. There are loads of things that you can use for Cuttling creatively.

7. On cutting the Cuttlebug embossing folders apart: When I'd modified the folders, I'd done it mainly with those smaller folders in mind. This can be done with the bigger ones, too. I can see some situations where this could be useful:

~*~ One is when you're wanting to emboss a card front that's larger than A2 size.

~*~ Another is when you want to center your embossed design on an A2 sized card front, but the folder design doesn't give you enough leeway at the top of the folder--the Swiss dots would be one example. Eliminating the hinge would let you position the design so that it's centered nicely on the card front.

~*~ One more situation is if your folder ends up breaking at that folding point. That's a major wear and tear spot on those folders. You could repair it by making a new hinge of sorts with tape, OR you could take advantage and perhaps make the folder even more versatile by placing it inside a larger transparency folder which would allow you more freedom to put the design exactly where you want it to be.

Okay. I think that covers most of the questions and comments for now. :-)

Equal Time: Cuttling for Cuttlebug Users

Go figure. There are a lot of folks who use the Cuttlebug embossing folders with a Cuttlebug machine and not a Big Shot. ;-) I've read some comments about folks thinking that the Cuttling techniques that I've described can only be done with a Big Shot. I've always thought that the way the machines work is essentially the same, so really Cuttling should be adaptable. I had to prove it to myself though.

For you Cuttlebug users out there, I pulled mine out. It was a good deal that I couldn't pass up, and it's my back-up should my Big Shot ever fail me. It's out of the box now, and yes, Cuttling can be done with this machine.

Here are some how-to's. Thankfully Blogger's photo upload is working well today.


Okay, so there you see my CB with the plates, a couple of embossing folders, a card, my transparency, and the items I'll be using to do my creative double Cuttling (the wood frame and the oval wood die cut).


As usual, put the card front inside the folder and tuck the back part underneath the folder.


Here's that transparency template that I made by tracing the inside of the opening of the frame with a Sharpie. I use this to help me position where I want my frame once I've closed the folder. This is Floral Fantasy, by the way.


Once the folder is closed, I can still see where I want the opening of the frame to be.


I position the wood frame so that the opening matches the traced oval.


Here I'm sliding the transparency out. I don't need it anymore, eh?


Now I've placed the B plate on top of the frame, on top of the folder with the card inside, on top of plate A. As I understand it, usually you'd have another plate B in there. I took that bottom one out. My wood frame is virtually the same thickness as that plate, actually a little less. So this should roll through just fine. The only question is whether I'll need to make a second pass using a shim if it doesn't emboss deeply enough.


Here's the card after it's been rolled through. I like it fine as it is, plus I'm ready to take the next step. LOL!


Now I've tucked my card front inside the Birds & Swirls folder. I pull out my handy dandy transparency again to see where I'd like those birds and swirls to show up.


Close the folder with the transparency still inside.


This time I position my oval wood die cut on top of the closed folder and over the tracing. It's crooked up there on purpose, okay? That's so you can see the tracing. My eyes aren't quite that bad. ;-) I'll straighten it out before running it through.


I've slipped the transparency out and placed the B plate on top of the stack. Again, this wood die cut is conveniently the same thickness as one of the B plates, so I eliminated that second B plate that would ordinarily be in the stack. Top to bottom: B plate, wood die cut, folder with card front inside, A plate.


Here's how it turned out after I ran it through. Maybe it wasn't the best combination, but it's still pretty and it shows that creative double Cuttling can be adapted to a Cuttlebug. And obviously you don't need to do the second Cuttling. You can stop after the first pass as I've described in creative Cuttling. You might also want to peek at creative Cuttling in more detail.

Partial Cuttling for the Cuttlebug works, too. Hey, I've got the machine out, so I might as well put this through the paces as well.


Here's my stack. It's the usual combo. The folder with card front inside between two B plates on top of the A plate. The key is leaving the area that's to be left unembossed outside of the plates so that no pressure will be applied. That's why my folder is just hanging out there.


And there's the partial Cuttling result using the Swiss Dots folder. Only the top part of a top fold card was embossed, and no cards or tools were harmed in the production of this look. ;-)

Diagonal Cuttling works, too.


The two long plates are from Sizzix and are usually used for those long border dies. They're the same thickness as the B plates. They let me emboss at an angle as I've described before.


And that's the result of doing diagonal Cuttling using the Perfectly Paisley embossing folder. I do run that through twice because that top left corner is left unembossed after the first pass, but you can just straighten those long plates and emboss that area. You can also just leave it if you like that look.

I'm going to skip over the double Cuttle because I don't think there was ever any reason to think that couldn't be duplicated with a Cuttlebug machine.

So there ya go! Equal time for fans of the Cuttlebug. :-) I'll just add that I did like the CB fine. I was bummed that the multipurpose platform was too wide to fit through the opening though. I'd rather not have to think about what stack combo to run through the machine, plus that little extra width gives me more room when I'm trying to run things through diagonally. I'll be sticking with what's most familiar to me, so it's back to the Big Shot again. :-)